AIDS is a medical nightmare of global proportions. It is estimated that this disease has affected over 60 million people since its discovery more than thirty years ago. Of that 60 million more than half have been killed by the disease. The most common means by which this disease is spread is through unsafe sex, use of contaminated needles, and mother’s transferring it to their children either through childbirth, or through their breast milk. AIDS is a slow disease that will not kill its victims directly, instead it wreaks havoc on the immune system, allowing other infections to come in unhindered. This is also the reason why a lot of people remain ignorant about AIDS, about its causes, effects, and how it can be prevented.
A campaign for awareness about the disease is helping to fight its spread, but it has been estimated that tens of millions more will be affected by the disease in the years to come, especially in the developing countries where there is less access to information and medicines. This is the case in Africa, which is the worst affected region in the world. Millions of Africans are trying to deal with the disease as best as they can, but the lack of knowledge and assistance is also a driving factor in the spread of AIDS in the region.
In more affluent countries like the United States and those in Europe, people infected with AIDS can take a system of medication known as antiretrovirals. This involves taking a lot of medications and pills that will help serve as a replacement for the inactive immune system. The medication will not be able to fight AIDS directly but it can be a means for prolonging the life of the patient. Because of it many patients have been able to live through the disease.
But there is hope. The Timothy Brown HIV cure is a ray of hope to millions who are affected with the disease and the world in general. Timothy Brown was one of those who used antiretroviral medication in order to live with AIDS. Brown was born in the United States. When he turned 18 he came out openly as gay and traveled extensively in Europe. He settled briefly in Barcelona, where he believes he contracted AIDS. After that he stayed in Berlin. After being diagnosed with the disease he believed that he only had two years to live. His life was prolonged however, when he started to take the latest medications.
Fifteen years after he was diagnosed with AIDS it was discovered that he was also suffering from leukemia. It was advised that he undergo bone marrow transplant. His doctors intentionally chose a donor match who had a special genetic trait. That donor has the gene that makes them immune to the virus that causes AIDS. It is not commonly known but almost 10% of all Northern Europeans have a genetic trait that makes them immune to the AIDS virus. The transplant was a success, and it also cured Brown of the disease that so many experts worldwide have called uncurable.
Now the world is hopeful that we have finally discovered the cure to the dreaded disease that has destroyed the lives of millions, and threatening to destroy the lives of millions more. However, this is just one isolated case and although it is promising, there is much more research to be done to determine the results and tenacity of this kind of cure. Nevertheless, it is very promising.